Luxury travel in Turkey: private, tailor-made, for advisors

A luxury trip is made of the same services as any private tour, booked at their upper level and never shared with other passengers:

Outside the base are international flights, travel insurance (recommended), tips and drinks.

The quotation for a luxury trip is sent within 24 business hours from the moment we have the complete details, net to the agency, which sets its own selling price. It carries the day-by-day programme, the proposed hotels by name and room type, the vehicle, the guide services, the meals included, the optional activities quoted separately and the payment and cancellation terms.

The details that speed up the proposal most in this format:

• Who travels and which room type they prefer.
• Dates, fixed or, if flexible, the month; in high season the availability of upper-category hotels decides the itinerary.
• Hotels or areas the client already knows or wants to avoid, and whether they prefer boutique or grand hotel in each city.
• Pace: early visits to avoid crowds, free mornings, short days.
• Guide: language, and whether they want one every day or only on the main visits.
• Optional activities already in mind: balloon, Bosphorus boat, special dinner.
• Target price per person, if the agency has one; it helps propose matching hotels and services without several rounds.

We quote net to agencies: the amount of each proposal is the net price, and the agency sets the selling price to its client. We do not publish amounts for luxury trips because they depend on the actual hotels, the dates and the services the client chooses. Requests go through the quotation form, by e-mail or by WhatsApp.

Once the proposal is accepted in writing, we confirm every hotel, the vehicle, the guide and the flights, and send the final programme with the vouchers, the contacts on the ground and the agreed timings. The person who prepared the file follows it during the trip and the emergency phone line is answered around the clock.

What we promise and what we do not, stated plainly:

• We promise the hotel category booked, the vehicle and the guide reserved for those passengers, and a programme that adjusts on the go to the client's pace without losing content.
• We do not promise a specific room type until the hotel confirms it in writing, nor the balloon flight, which depends on the wind and visibility of each sunrise, nor access to a monument on its closing day: Hagia Sophia has visiting rules that may change without notice, working mosques close during prayer times and museums have a weekly closing day.
• Visits are scheduled early when the client wants to avoid crowds; during the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı) crowds grow and the quotation flags it.
• Domestic flights are issued in each passenger's name exactly as it appears in the passport; the baggage allowance is the one on the ticket, and the private vehicle waits for the confirmed flight.
• Optional activities have their own cancellation terms, stated in the proposal before they are booked.

Istanbul and Cappadocia are the usual backbone of a luxury trip through Turkey; the Turquoise Coast adds sea, Lycian sites and beach hotels; Ephesus and Kuşadası and Pamukkale are visited on private days from the coast or by air from Istanbul. In Southeast Turkey and Eastern Turkey the hotel category available is more limited, and the proposal says so before the client decides.

The commercial terms are the ones published on the agents page: 30% deposit at confirmation (the full amount for bookings made 30 days or less before departure), 70% balance no later than 31 days before departure, and a cancellation scale of 25% between 89 and 61 days, 50% between 60 and 31 and 100% at 30 days or less. Payment is by bank transfer or credit card, with a 3% surcharge on card payments.

On a luxury trip it is also worth knowing that some upper-category hotels and certain services reserved on a private basis (Bosphorus boat, special dinners) apply their own payment and cancellation terms, stricter than the general scale. When that is the case, the proposal states them service by service before booking.